Worth Waiting For
by iloveromance
Summary: When they finally met, Kate knew that time could never separate them again.
1. Chapter 1

Kate stood at the mailbox willing the little metal flag to rise. The longer it took the more her heart began to crumble. She'd come as fast as she could to the lake house,

hoping that time would work in her favor. At the mailbox she waited, hoped, prayed and finally, as she fell to her knees, sobbed.

"Please, Alex. I can't lose you. Not now when we've been through so much."

She cried until she was spent, her heart beating rapidly. And suddenly it happened. The flag lowered. She stared at the mailbox filled with hope. Seconds later, a sound

came from the distance, tires moving across the narrow driveway. She turned to see a truck approaching. It stopped a short distance from the mailbox. The door

opened and suddenly he was there, smiling at her. It was a smile that melted her heart.

They walked toward each other and it seemed to take forever, but she'd already waited a lifetime. Seconds later he was standing in front of her and she saw him,

really saw him for the first time.

"You waited."

He smiled and moved toward her, cradling her face in his hands. The kisses that followed went on forever and still she wanted more, so much more. His lips were soft,

so much softer than she remembered, sweeter than she thought possible. Her arms wrapped around him even more tightly sand she drew him closer, content to rest

her head against his chest.

Oh how she loved him.

When the kisses ended she touched her forehead lightly against his and smiled. No words were spoken as they joined hands and walked down the dock to the lake

house. It wasn't just her house now. It wasn't just his. It was theirs.

Once inside, he helped her with her coat and removed his own. They gazed at each other.

"Alex..."

He smiled, brushing a petal of her hair from her forehead. "God, you're beautiful."

"So are you." She replied, smiling at her words. She was certain that he'd never had anyone call him _beautiful_ before but he was definitely worthy of the description.

In response he kissed her again, just as he had kissed her at the mailbox.

She gazed toward the skylight above them and smiled at the late afternoon sunshine that filtered through it. "Thank you for this." she whispered. "Thank you so

much."

Alex chuckled. "Did you say something, Kate?"

"Um, no, I-can I get you anything? Hot chocolate? Coffee?" Embarrassed, Kate smiled. "Sorry, I-"

He moved closer and took her hand. "No, it's all right. It's your house too."

"Too? But I-."

She'd had the thought just moments before but she never imagined-.

"Stay with me, Kate. Please."

Her arms went around him and she began to cry, holding him tightly.

"Kate, what is it? What's wrong?"

"Nothing… Nothing's wrong. I just… I don't think I could ever leave you, Alex, even if I tried. I lost you once, and I don't want to lose you ever again."

Their lips met as sweet, warm kisses commenced and once again she was swept up in her emotions. "I love you..." She said in the brief seconds that their lips parted.

"I love you too. But you know..." he said, drawing back briefly.

Worry crept into her chest. "What's wrong?"

"I could go for some hot chocolate."

His words made her laugh. They were the last words she expected him to say. I'll be right back."

"Wait…"

She noticed that he was holding her hand, preventing her from leaving. "What?"

"Why don't we do it together?"

She smiled. "I'd like that."

Their hands still joined, they walked into the kitchen. Through the window she could see the gorgeous snow covered trees and the surrounding lake. "I'll get the

mugs." She announced.

"I'll get the hot chocolate."

When the hot chocolate was ready they carried their mugs into the living room and sat down on the sofa in front fireplace.

"You know, I was thinking…" Alex said. "I hope I'm not being too forward but maybe we could get our own place."

Her eyebrows rose. "Our own place?"

"Look, if I'm moving too fast, just let me know, all right? I mean, in theory we've only just met, but maybe somewhere closer to the city? The hospital is probably quite a

drive from here and it would make things easier-."

She stopped him with a kiss. "Alex… no."

"Oh, I see…"

"No, you don't. We don't need our own place. We already have one, right here."

"You mean…"

"Yes, of course I'll stay with you. I have no intention of leaving."

"That's good because neither do I."

More kisses followed and as they emptied their mugs of hot chocolate, they kept each other warm in front of the fire, wrapped in a blanket. Night fell and they both

drifted off to sleep in each other's arms.

This life, their new life, was certainly worth waiting for.


	2. Chapter 2

She awoke just in time to see the sun peaking over the horizon. A new day was beginning; the first full day of her life with Alex. He was still sleeping soundly beside

her, holding onto her as though he was afraid to let go. Carefully she moved away from him, freezing slightly when he stirred. She made her way to the bathroom and

upon her return; she was greeted by a familiar fuzzy face.

"Hey Jack." She said, reaching down to pet her. The dog seemed genuinely happy to see her and she realized that Jack was her dog too.

Suddenly he awoke. "Hey, what are you doing up so early?"

"Just saying hello to Jack here."

"Jack! Hey, girl!"

The dog bounded over to the sofa and began kissing Alex's face, making Kate laugh. "She really loves you, doesn't he?"

"She loves you, too. Thanks for taking care of her for me." He stared at her for a moment, making her feel a little uncomfortable.

"What? What is it?"

"Nothing. I just-you're so beautiful."

"Alex…"

"I can't believe we finally found each other after so much time. So many things happened in between."

She knew that he was talking about his dad and she sat down on the sofa and put her arms around him. "I'm sorry. I know it hurts."

"It does. And it probably always will. I wish I had had a better relationship with him, but-."

"He knew that you loved him, Alex. And you know that he loved you. That's all that matters." Before he could say anything more, she kissed him softly.

He glanced out the window. "What a beautiful sunrise."

"Breathtaking." She agreed.

He rose from the sofa and grabbed a blanket.

"Alex, what are you doing?"

"You'll see."

She followed him outside where he stood on the balcony, gazing at the sunset. "Alex, what are you doing out here? It's freezing!"

"I know. That's why I brought the blanket."

"What? I-."

He wrapped the blanket around their shoulders and leaned against her. It was so easy to love him, so easy to be with him. She felt like she'd known him her whole life

and yet there was so much more that she wanted to know.

They watched the sunrise turn the sky a rainbow of colors and when she shivered, he pulled her closer. "Let's go inside."

"No, Alex. I'm fine. I-."

"Please?" He asked, kissing her so softly, it was hard to say no. As if on que it started to rain, the clouds obscuring the beautiful sunrise.

Kate couldn't help but smile. "I think that's a sign." She took his hand and led him inside.

After a romantic breakfast by candlelight (Alex's idea) they looked at one another. Outside the rain fell harder, pounding against the glass windows.

"Well, we can't exactly spend the day outdoors."

"True, but there's plenty to do inside."

"Such as?"

He grinned and took her hand, leading her into the bedroom. "I don't believe we finished the tour of the house."

"Tour? What tour?"

"This is the bedroom."

"Oh really?"

"And right there is the bed."

She nodded. "I see."

"I'm thinking maybe we need to inspect the bed a little further."

"That's a good idea. But first…"

She walked over to the CD player, smiling at his confused glance.

"Kate, what are you doing?"

"You'll see."

She searched through the stack of CD's that she knew so well until she found it, a Paul McCartney CD. It only took seconds to find the perfect song. When the opening

strands began, a million thoughts ran through her mind. Memories, promises.

He was beside her in an instant, holding out his arms. She moved closer and they began to dance. And just like the first time they'd danced to the song, they moved

closer and closer to one another. But the kisses, when they happened, were different. There was no one to distract them, no one to judge.

The world and her life were perfect and so worth waiting for.

**_THE END_**


End file.
